Present: Year 1525, Mount Hwangsan, Twenty Years After Reonhwa's Death
Mount Hwangsan was a graveyard, its sacred slopes scarred with craters, its air thick with the reek of blood and scorched flesh. Cheon Hajin, the 73rd Heavenly Demon, stood at the summit, his silver hair matted with gore, his black robes shredded, Bloodreaver dripping crimson in his clawed hand. His crimson eyes blazed, his qi a roiling black storm at the peak of the Life and Death Realm, his Slaughter Domain a shadowy aura that crushed the spirits of the ten thousand warriors arrayed against him—Orthodox Faction, Unrivaled Clans, Unorthodox Sects, united to end the Neck-Slashing Demonic Emperor.
Before him stood Namgung Mak Gyonwoo, the Murim world's golden hero, his white robes emblazoned with the Namgung Clan's azure dragon, his sword Heaven's Edge radiating celestial qi. Behind him, his ten heroines formed a circle of power: So Yuhwa's blade burned with fire, Baek Somin's healing qi shimmered with deadly precision, Jang Miran's arrows crackled with frost, and the other seven—each a legend—wove a barrier of elemental qi that pressed against Hajin's own. The remaining faction warriors, bloodied but resolute, flanked them, their weapons drawn, their qi flaring.
Hajin's Demonic Tempest clashed with Mak's Dragon Ascendant Strike, black and azure qi exploding in a shockwave that shattered the cliffside. He dodged Yuhwa's fiery slash with the Shadow Veil Step, his Neck-Slashing Strike countering her blade, sending her staggering. Jang Miran's arrows rained, but his Black Lotus Bloom conjured illusory blades, deflecting them in a spray of ice and sparks. The battle was chaos, a storm of steel and qi, but Hajin fought with a manic grin, his laughter cutting through the screams. 'Reonhwa, see this? I'm breaking their world.'
Then Mak struck, his qi shifting, a pressure unlike anything Hajin had felt. The air warped, time itself seeming to slow as Mak's Heaven's Edge glowed with a light that transcended the Life and Death Realm. Hajin's eyes widened, his Slaughter Domain faltering under the weight of Mak's aura. 'No… it can't be. The Void Sovereign Realm—the pinnacle of ascension, reached only by legends like the Martial God, the Sword God, the 1st Heavenly Demon God Cheon Ma, and his descendant, the Second Heavenly Demon God Lee Cheon-Sang. Mak, the naïve fool, had touched the divine, his qi bending reality itself.'
Hajin staggered, blood dripping from a gash on his arm, his meridians screaming. "You… Void Sovereign?" he rasped, his voice a mix of shock and bitter amusement. 'That damn regressor. Of course he'd climb this high.'
Mak's face was grim, his eyes heavy with sorrow. "Stop this now, Woojin," he pleaded, his voice carrying over the battlefield's roar. "There's still light. You don't have to walk this path."
Hajin's laugh was raw, unhinged, echoing like a death knell. "Hah, light? C'mon, Mak, I'm beyond saving, and you know that." He raised Bloodreaver, his qi flaring despite the pain, his Slaughter Domain pushing back against Mak's divine pressure. Reonhwa's pendant burned against his chest, her death a wound that never healed. The light had died with her, and he'd embraced the darkness to honor her.
Mak's sword lowered slightly, his voice breaking. "Please, Woojin. I don't want to kill you. We're sworn brothers."
"Former," Hajin spat, his crimson eyes blazing. "I abandoned everything, Mak. Do you really think the three factions could forgive me? No, they're too unforgiving, too hypocritical for that, and you know it." He paused, his grin softening into something raw, almost tender. "I'm proud of you, though. Void Sovereign Realm—the peakest of peaks, something I couldn't reach. Hahahahaha!" His laughter turned manic, tears streaming down his face as he clutched Reonhwa's pendant. "Reonhwa, look at Mak! I bet you're proud now."
The words broke him, his voice cracking as grief surged. He couldn't move on from her death, couldn't let go of the blood-soaked vow he'd made. Mak's eyes glistened, his own grief mirrored. "I'm sorry, Reonhwa," he whispered. "I'm sorry, Woojin. If this is the only way, I'll kill you painlessly. I'm so sorry—if I was ther—"
"There's no need, Mak," Hajin cut him off, his voice steady despite the tears. "Let's just end this." He raised Bloodreaver, his qi surging, a black flame that defied the heavens.
Mak's face hardened, and he nodded, his qi exploding in a radiant wave. The heroines and factions moved as one, their combined power a cataclysm. Yuhwa's Blazing Phoenix Slash burned the air, Somin's Life-Reaving Pulse twisted life itself, Miran's Frost Dragon Volley froze the ground. The Orthodox elders unleashed celestial swords, the Unrivaled patriarchs summoned qi storms, and the Unorthodox assassins struck from the shadows, their poisons hissing. Mak led them, his Void Sovereign Strike bending space, a blade of light that cut through reality.
Hajin met them with everything he had. His Demonic Tempest roared, black qi clashing with their onslaught, shattering the peak. He danced through the chaos with the Shadow Veil Step, his Neck-Slashing Strike severing an elder's head, blood spraying like a fountain. His Black Lotus Bloom countered Miran's arrows, illusory blades exploding in bursts of frost and fire. But Mak's Void Sovereign qi was a tide, overwhelming, inescapable. A heroine's spear pierced Hajin's shoulder, blood gushing as he roared, countering with a Phantom Claw Strike that tore her arm off, her scream echoing.
The factions pressed, their numbers endless. An Unorthodox assassin's dagger grazed his side, poison burning his veins, but his Life and Death Realm qi neutralized it. An Unrivaled patriarch's hammer cracked his ribs, pain flaring, but Hajin's Heaven-Splitting Slash split the man in half, guts spilling across the stone. Yet Mak's strikes were relentless, each blow bending the air, time slowing under his divine will. Hajin's Slaughter Domain wavered, his qi draining, his body bleeding from a dozen wounds.
"You can't win, Woojin," Mak said, his voice heavy as he struck again, his blade a streak of light. "Please, stop."
Hajin laughed, blood dripping from his lips. "Win? I never cared about winning, Mak. I just wanted them to burn. I want the whole Burn Hahahahahahah!" He unleashed a final Demonic Tempest, a storm of black qi that shook the mountain, forcing the heroines back, shattering the factions' formations. But Mak's Void Sovereign Strike cut through it, a blade of pure light that grazed Hajin's chest, blood spraying as he staggered.
The heroines struck in unison, their qi a symphony of destruction—fire, ice, light, shadow, all converging. The factions followed, swords SNIP their swords, spears, and poisons overwhelming. Hajin fought on, his Neck-Slashing Strike claiming lives, but Mak's divine qi was a wall he couldn't break. A heroine's qi-laced arrow pierced his thigh, blood streaming. Another's sword slashed his arm, flesh parting in a red gash. Mak's final strike came, a painless cut as promised, Heaven's Edge slicing through Hajin's chest, his heart faltering.
Hajin fell to his knees, Bloodreaver slipping from his hand, Reonhwa's pendant glinting in the fading light. He looked at Mak, his old friend, his sworn brother, and smiled, blood bubbling on his lips. "Do it, Mak," he whispered. "End it."
Mak's face twisted, tears falling as he raised his sword. The factions and heroines closed in, their qi a blinding storm. Hajin's laughter faded, his vision darkening, Reonhwa's face the last thing he saw. 'I defied them, love. For you.'